``I SIGNED UP FOR THIS GAME ; VAUGHN

[Alegra Silvertongue]

She, in turn, ignored his question. His sarcasm was such that it was not even worth acknowledging, and the question had quite clearly been meant to be rhetorical. All she could do was watch him, thoroughly irked, as he continued to sift through her belongings, and she almost wished he could come across one of her racier pairs of panties, if only to see his response. Of course, "almost" was the operative word in this instance, as she could almost guess his reaction in the first place and knew that it would hover around amused before he decided to make a game of it and tease her - which made her very, very grateful she had relocated them.

Alegra stood up and walked over, standing in front of the vanity beside him as he went through her jewels. She got onto her tiptoes - the only way she could really reach the drawer, but the size of the dresser was needed to contain all of her stuff; she normally had a stepstool, but was not about to use that in front of him - and rummaged along side him until she came across an elegant gold chain with a large ruby and two small tanzanite stones on either side as the only decoration. She held it up, examining it, and then turned to him and held it up against his chest, declaring, "As I thought, completely your style." Was she teasing? Somewhat. She couldn't think of a reason why he would be looking through her stuff if not to steal it, in which case you'd think he'd have chosen several things by now. Her joking explanation in her mind was that he wanted to try it on for himself. "I think I have a pair of earrings that go with it, as well. The set would suit you very nicely."

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Vaughn looked at her as she held up the necklace to him. It looked like a rather expensive piece indeed. He chuckled at her comment. Not annoyed, not frustrated, by amused as he always was. "Are you selecting certain pieces for me, ones that will bring out the color in my eyes and the tone of my skin." While Vaughn did have a morbid and crude sense of humor, there were times when he could make more innocent jokes, and this was one of them. Of course, the circumstances leading up to this situation were not that innocent.

"Where is it from?" He asked casually, taking the necklace from her as he inspecting the jewels in it. He had been around enough gold and jewels to know the authenticity of it and just how valuable it was. The chain itself was worth quite a bit. "And are you going to show me the earrings as well. I must decide for myself whether they will be a suitable set." He diverted his attention to this necklace for now, and would wait to hear the history of it before he turned his attention back to rummaging through her belongings.

[Alegra Silvertongue]

Alegra's grin widened, clearly pleased that he was joking along. She hadn't been entirely certain he was capable of doing so without twisting it around or making it unpleasant; it was nice to know he had a sense of humor somewhere under all of that sarcasm. "I am," she said, nodding sagely. "You have gold undertones, so of course gold is the only metal for you." Her eyes sparkled as she enjoyed herself, though she wryly wondered if she ought to act a bit more miserable. If she appeared too elated, the stubborn man might take it upon himself to rip her favorite dress or pull her hair.

When he asked where it was from, Alegra briefly hesitated. If she told the truth, he might decide to take it just to spite her, and the thought weighed her chest down considerably. However, she resolved to tell the truth, as she figured that if he wanted it, he'd steal it either way. "My father gave it to me for my first ball when I was thirteen," she admitted. Of course, she'd been incredibly young; most women didn't go to their first until they were fifteen or sixteen. However, her mother had detected trouble early on and figured the quicker they started searching for a man for her, the better, and with no sign of any future growth, there hadn't been much of a point in not attending. After all, she was already quite mature for her age, and a pretty little thing even then. He asked for the earrings, and she grinned and delved back into the drawer until she had pulled up the two of them - each a tear-drop ruby with a small round tanzanite above it, dangling from an identical gold chain. "Perfect," she declared, her face bright once more. "They'll frame your face most nicely, I'm certain."

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

While Vaughn was never surprised by anything, he certainly did not expect a lot of things. Her continuous honesty was one of those things. Surely she knew what he was like at this point, and what he would do with that kind of information. "Interesting. What a sentimental, precious gift from your father." He said this with such false compassion and admiration. Seconds after, he pocketed the necklace. Now, really. Could she have not seen that coming? He had not decided if he would give it back. Probably not. He would keep it and just dangle it around her to boast that he had it.

Vaughn caught sight of at least one of the earrings from corner of his eye. "Where are those from?" He asked, in the same tone he asked about the necklace. Maybe he would take those too. Or just the necklace for stealing this much too quickly would be over kill and eliminate the thrill of taking one thing. He had barley made his way through her room. He was rather certain there was still a great deal to see.

[Alegra Silvertongue]

She watched as his pocketed the necklace and the joking smile disappeared instantly from her face. A burst of regret flashed through her eyes, but her face remained entirely impassive, and she turned her head to the side to conceal the tightening of her lips for several moments before she turned back to him, her face a perfectly emotionless slate. He'd been correct, of course. It had been very sentimental, and it took every ounce of self control she possessed not to rip one of his swords from its sheath and hold it up against his neck until he returned it. That, however, would get her absolutely nowhere, so instead she simply didn't comment, as if the necklace had never existed at all. She wasn't about to let him hurt her; no one had the right to do that.

At his inquiry as to the earrings, she pocketed them before he could take a fancy to those, as well. "They're from the same set," she said, her voice dull, void of any emotion. He might have the necklace, but at least she had these; the entire thing had not been lost. And, she thought to herself, she was going to sleep with them very, very close tonight. Alegra wouldn't put it past him to try to claim them while she slept - not that she'd be able to sleep tonight, as it seemed. Not with him in the house. It was going to be a long few days. She walked back to her bed and laid back down on her side, her head propped up in her hand to watch him.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Damn. She had known better that time. If Vaughn gave back the earrings, it would not be due to an act of kindness. It would be only if he got something better in return. "You would separate the set?" He asked, acting as if he was surprised by the very notion of doing that and insinuating that it would be better if she would give him the earrings rather than him returning the necklace to make the set whole again. Seeing her move onto her made him smirk as he had been planning to do the same thing. Then again, it would be more fun this way.

"Hmm. Now, to test the comfort of a noble woman's bed." He went over to the other side and lay down on his back. He was used to laying down with his swords still strapped to his back. It made his position no less comfortable, as it was a rather luxurious bed indeed. He closed his eyes. "If you do not say, or do something soon," The 'do something' part was indeed meant to sound suggestive. "Then I will without a doubt fall asleep." As always, it was up to her to entertain him as he lay on her bed, in her room, late at night. Was she used to this or was it considered scandalous to her? He guessed the latter.

[Alegra Silvertongue]

Unwilling to allow him to pique all of the emotions that she had so carefully hidden, Alegra didn't bother responding to his comment regarding the earrings. He was trying to set her off, trying to get a rise out of her - trying to gain some reassurance that there was amusement to be had from stealing a sentimental possession. Well, she wasn't going to feed his bloody addiction for sadism. Somewhere inside, there was fury at him for it, but mostly wary resignation. She'd known it could happen, and she'd taken her chances. Her mistake, really, to put a shiny toy in the hands of a greedy child. She wouldn't make the same one again.

Her bright eyes watched him as he crossed over too lay down on top of her bed. The cad! Alegra didn't even want to think about how dirty his armor might be, and that was bad enough without him joining it. Her bed, of all places! Was there nothing he respected? Even mentally, the question was rhetorical. Of course there wasn't. She had come to that conclusion hours ago. At his not-so-subtle (as intended, she figured ruefully) implication, her eyes narrowed like a cats, but as of yet it was still clear of any expression. All at once, she transformed. Two could play this game, and she was a good player, indeed. She rolled over to face him, an intense expression of what seemed to be a mixture of concentration and seduction on her face. "Like what?" she purred, her fingers dancing feather-light on top of his breastplate.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Vaughn felt her touch his armor, and though he was not looking at her, he could imagine her expression to go along with the tone of voice she was speaking in. He kept his eyes closed; a smile creeping onto his lips. He was actually very relaxed and could indeed fall asleep. Though, the idea of teasing her was far too tempting to allow sleep to consume him. Of course, he did not require that much rest. And he planned to stay here for as long as he could get away with, which would hopefully be for the majority of the night, or the remainder of it anyway.

He then squinted his eyes open, looking at her but not moving his position. He then winked at her, and closed his eyes once again. "Use your imagination." He said, continuing to speak in a flirtatious voice. "Since we all know you have such a creative one."

[Alegra Silvertongue]

Alegra felt frustration begin to creep up, though she never let it show - she'd learned by now it was best not to show him any emotion. At least, not a real one. What was she going to do? She didn't have the slightest idea, but knew she needed to start forming one pretty quickly. The hell if this man was going to sleep on her bed. But how far could she go with this? There were two worrisome results possible: One, he ignored her entirely and was unaffected by her seduction, or two, she went too far with it and got the exact opposite reaction. Could she walk the line in between? Doubtful, but she could still hope.

As he winked at her and then closed his eyes again, her brows furrowed in concentration. Her imagination? Well, she had ample of that, she thought wryly. But most of her ideas were probably a bit too violent for him. At the very least, she had the (comforting?) knowledge that she was no stranger to this. While her virtue may be intact, she'd certainly had her share of both seducing and being seduced by men. Her hand began moving downward on the breastplate, as slow and lightly as could be but her movements were deft and secure. Her other hand sought and unclipped one of the buckles on his side with a click dulled slightly by her comforter, and she rolled some, changing her position and angling herself to lean against him slightly.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Vaughn could feel her hands continuing to move along his armor. He kept his eyes closed, enjoying the small element of surprise as he did not know what she was doing. He would however be able to feel if she did anything abrupt and quick, such as reaching for a weapon. He was not that relaxed as to allow the possibility to slip from his mind. But for the time being, she did not seem to be doing anything too drastic. Just, helping him by unbuckling a few clips of his armor. This caused him to smile.

"I suppose you will be helping remove my armor after all," he said, holding back a chuckle but the amused tone was evident in his statement. After their extended conversation about having a male assist him, here they were. Him on her bed, her helping him remove the metal pieces. It was rather funny how things turned out; completely different than what was initially planned. It was why Vaughn had no long term plans. It was more fun this way, to live in the moment, and expect the unexpected.

[Alegra Silvertongue]

This was becoming increasingly agitating. Alegra wasn't certain what next to do - how far was too far? Not to mention that he still showed no signs of moving any time soon. Was there any point in arousing him if he wasn't going to leave, anyway? None that she could think of. She removed her hand from his chest and rolled over, annoyed but holding it in. The hell if he was going to chase her out of her own bed! She was stubborn, as she had doubtless proven time and time again, and the trait didn't apply only depending on the circumstances. Her bed was her bed, and she was going to sleep in it.

Alegra ran a hand through her hair, walking over to the vanity and running a brush through it a few times to prevent it snarling. She grabbed a white cotton nightgown from her armoire and painstakingly blew out every single candle in the room, leaving it completely dark - an advantage she used to strip out of her dress and into the nightgown, all within barely a minute. Of course, he'd already seen her nearly naked, so she wasn't certain what the point was, but that hadn't demolished the fact that she still had her pride. With the lights out and her clothing successfully changed, she crawled back into her side of the bed and pulled the comforter stuffed with goose feathers over her, muttering a snarkish, "Good night, Vlad." She'd simply have to wake up early enough to avoid the servants seeing them in the room together.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Vaughn was becoming increasingly amused. He watched her very intently as she proceeded to undress. Though Vaughn could not see it, he could see the silhouette of a figure and this only made him smirk in the darkness the room was not filled with. What was she going to do? Sleep here? Well wouldn't that just be perfect. After all the attempts she had tried to make to keep him out of her chambers, he would now be sleeping next to her in them. This could certainly start some interesting rumors. Even if she denied it, and he confirmed it, people would always wonder what happened between the innocent Lady Silvertongue and the mysterious knight from afar.

As she dressed, Vaughn adjusted himself so that he was in a more comfortable position. He folded his hands behind his head, his eyes following her as she proceeded to lay down next to him, probably trying to create as much distance as possible between two people who were laying down on the same bed. "No good night kiss?" He asked, smirking even if his expression could not be fully seen.

[Alegra Silvertongue]

Alegra was certain he was just getting all sorts of amusement from this, but she'd be damned if she let it get to her. If he had any intentions for the night, she told herself uneasily, he was very sorely mistaken, and that brought her a very grim sense of satisfaction; he really wasn't benefiting any from this little encounter, except, of course, all of the money he was extorting from her. Bastard. She was vaguely concerned about the possibility that he might tell people about the nighttime activities - even if it was only a lack thereof - but it wasn't enough to seriously worry her. He wouldn't say anything that would completely destroy her social status or there wold be no point in their little deal, and her family's reputation would easily cover up any small scandal.

His words brought her out of her thoughts, and she snorted. A good night kiss? She knew he was only mocking her, but honestly, that was a bit ridiculous. Of course, a little plan formed in her mind even so. She turned around, smiling impishly. "A kiss is what you want?" she asked with raised brows. "A kiss you shall have." She leaned in deliberately towards him, and at the last moment deviated, her mouth going to the side of his neck where she bit down, hard. A flash of a second later and she removed her teeth from his skin, turned back over, and prepared herself for sleep. She had no doubt that he would feel the need to exert some sort of revenge, but she would do her best to ignore him, even as she smirked slightly into the darkness.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Did she just agree to a good night's kiss? Surely it would not be that easy to extract such intimacy from her. When she began to move forward, Vaughn just looked at her, the anticipation within him as it would be present in any man who was about to be kissed by a beautiful woman. Though she seemed to have deviated from the more, traditional approach and instead bit down on his neck instead. He could not say he was disappointed for the unexpected act still had an arousing affect. His chuckle deepened when she pulled away, curious as to how she possibly thought he would be able to sleep after doing such a thing.

He continued to look at her, only turning his neck while the rest of his body remained firmly in place. It had been quite some time since he had lay on the luxurious comfort of a bed, and while he did not miss it from his home, it was undeniably a great feeling. Despite this, he was rather awake after her little nibble though something told him she was drifting off. While there was a lot he did not comprehend about people, he really could not understand how she so easily slept next to a stranger who was blackmailing her and had proven he was clearly not to be trusted. Did she truly think he would not take advantage of her? He turned his head once again so that he was staring straight up at the ceiling. Unsure if she was fully asleep or not, he spoke anyway, just for the hell of it. "Who knew the daughter of a nobleman would like it so feisty." ]